The present disclosure relates to a responding apparatus and a network responding method. In particular, it is related with a responding apparatus and a network responding method that receives information request data and transmits the response data for the information request data.
As an example of a typical image forming apparatus, there are an MFP (Multifunctional Peripheral) or the like that can print a document and an image.
Some of these image forming apparatuses have ability to be a waiting state of low power where turning off electric power supply to some parts, which has large power consumption, and keeping on the electric power supply only to some parts of functions (henceforth a “standby mode”). This is as energy conservation measures, and it is performed when the time set up previously passes in the state where a user does not use an image forming apparatus. However, once it proceeds to the standby mode, it will need time until a user will be in the state (henceforth “normal mode”) where an image forming apparatus can be used.
However, once it proceeds to the standby mode, it will need time until being the state where a user can use the image forming apparatus (henceforth “normal mode”).
An example is considered that a host computer transmits information request data, which is data for verifying the information on an image forming apparatus, to the image forming apparatus of standby mode via a network.
In this case, the image forming apparatus replies response data after proceeding to the normal mode from the standby mode, and thus it requires time. Therefore, when information request data are transmitted from the host computer repeatedly, the number of times of proceeding to the normal mode from the standby mode will be increased. Further, since time of being standby mode will be short, power consumption cannot be reduced efficiently.
An example of a typical image forming apparatus that performs this measure is described. The image forming apparatus provides a controller consisting of two CPUs, main CPU (Central Processing Unit) that responds in the normal mode, and sub-CPU that responds in the standby mode. As for this image forming apparatus, in the normal mode, main CPU memorizes response data to RAM (Random Access Memory) in main CPU. In this image forming apparatus, in time of proceeding to the standby mode, sub-CPU extracts frequently-used response data from RAM in main CPU and memorizes it to RAM in sub CPU. In this way, when it proceeds to the standby mode from the normal mode, frequently-used response data is memorized in RAM of sub-CPU. Therefore, in the standby mode, sub-CPU uses the data where sub CPU has been memorized in RAM in sub-CPU and can make response data for transmitting.